McConnell spoke to ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ author about Senate bid: report

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has reportedly talked with J.D. Vance, the author of the bestseller “Hillbilly Elegy,” about possibly running for Senate in Ohio.

Politico reported on Monday that the Senate majority leader has said he will make the Ohio race a priority should Vance launch a bid. 

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The news comes after Ohio state Treasurer Josh Mandel (R) announced last week that he would end his bid for the seat currently filled by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). Mandel will continue to serve out his term as treasurer but ended the Senate campaign to focus on his wife’s health.

Mandel’s exit from the race has left Republican businessman Mike Gibbons as the top contender for the GOP slot.

Some have used Vance’s book about his life growing up in the Rust Belt as a means to understand the rise of President Trump and the plights of the white working class.

Vance previously ruled out a Senate bid, telling The Atlantic that a run for office would be “an objectively bad call for my family.”